Bristol City left with mountain to climb
“Ten cup finals” – that’s how Lauren Smith described her Bristol City side’s run-in as they fight for their Women’s Super League future. A 2-1 defeat at home against relegation rivals West Ham worsened the Robins’ plight as the visitors opened up a three-point cushion over the bottom-placed team. City have shown plenty of character and desire this season but remain with just one win. All too often errors and a lack of concentration have cost them dearly. On Sunday, this was illustrated by the visitors’ first goal that came against the run of play. City dealt with the initial delivery but were slow to react to the second phase allowing Honoka Hayashi space to convert. Despite finding a way back into the game, they were then sliced open on the counterattack by Viviane Asseyi for the eventual winner. “Ultimately it’s been a very physical game,” Smith said. “We’ve let ourselves down a couple of times in front of our own goal. We’ve not defended properly and that’s put us out of the game.” Sophie Downey
